Of Men & Magic
by mrs-emma-swan-jones
Summary: In 1928, Killian Jones, a lawyer by day and unmasker of phony spiritualists by night, is sent to expose Emma Swan, a self-proclaimed psychic that seems to have the world fooled. When he arrives he expects to figure her out quite easily, but soon finds himself questioning everything he believes to be true.


**Chapter 1: A Peculiar Matter**

"Spirit? If you're with us, please give us a sign…" the woman spoke in a dramatic tone as everyone in the room waited with baited breath. Everyone except for the dark haired man sitting attentively in the corner.

The lights suddenly began to flicker followed by a loud knock, causing those sitting hand-in-hand around the table to gasp in amazement.

"Yes," the woman sighed as her eyes slid closed. "I can feel him. He's here."

"Oh, Robert!" an elderly woman, who was joined by her four children at the table, suddenly cried out. "Is it really you?"

"Spirit, please knock once for yes, and twice for no," the psychic instructed.

One firm knock sounded immediately after that.

"Are you alright, Robert? Are you happy?" the old woman began to tear up as another single knock echoed through the room. "Oh, thank goodness! I'm here with the children, they all have things they'd like to say to you."

One by one, each of the four children asked their respective questions, the man in the corner sighing and checking his watch all the while. After they all had spoken their peace it was the old woman's turn.

"Robert, I hate to ask you this, but I just have to know," she began anxiously. "Were you always faithful to me?"

There was a single knock in reply.

"I knew it!" she said happily. "So-called friends of mine insisted that you had been having an affair with your secretary for years before you passed."

Two knocks.

"I never truly doubted you," the old woman smiled.

"Wait," the psychic's brow suddenly furrowed. "I'm losing him. He's starting to slip away."

"Oh no, Robert!" the woman and her children called out for their lost loved one. "We miss you!"

"He's gone," the psychic sighed in exhaustion, slumping back in her chair for good measure.

"Thank you," the elderly woman said genuinely. "Thank you for contacting my dear Robert. Well done."

"Well done indeed," the man in the corner, who had been silent throughout the entire séance, finally spoke up as he got to his feet. "You, madam, have managed to completely fool these poor, gullible people into believing your deceptions."

"Mr. Jones," the eldest son addressed him. "Are you saying that everything you just witnessed was simply an act of trickery?"

"That's what you brought me here for, isn't it? To debunk the amazing psychic who claims to be in contact with your dearly departed father?"

"Yes, I did, but how could any of what you just saw be a trick? There aren't any mechanisms under the table or pedals on the floor, and she works alone. How can a single person achieve such an elaborate trick on her own without help?"

"Who said she's working alone?" Killian asked pointedly before nodding to the self-proclaimed psychic that was smirking at him proudly. "She did, didn't she?"

The son fell silent as Killian began walking around the room.

"You can't trust anything that comes from the mouth of someone claiming to possess supernatural abilities," he stated simply. "The thing is, when you asked me to come debunk Ms. Mills here, I did a bit of research on her. Are you aware that the city records state that she currently has both her mother and older sister living with her? They'd make perfect allies in this whole charade, wouldn't they?"

"That can't be possible," the elderly woman said certainly. "Regina here told us that her mother and sister died in a tragic accident. She says that she's even able to communicate with them."

"Well of course she said that!" Killian exclaimed. "She's been lying to you from the moment you began paying her for all this nonsense."

"What I am able to do is not nonsense," Regina insisted. "My mother and sister passed many years ago. I'm the only surviving member of my family."

"Oh, so you're saying that the official city records are incorrect then?"

"Perhaps they've been tampered with," she suggested.

"Or, perhaps you've been lying," Killian said as he reached the opposite side of the room and yanked back a curtain to reveal a tall, red haired woman standing next to a switch board that was mounted on the wall. "You must be the dead sister. Zelena, correct?"

Zelena's mouth fell open but no words came out as Killian wandered back across the room.

"Now, I wonder where the dead mother is…" he walked over to the wall next to the bookcase and looked around observantly. "The knocking came consistently from this part of the room, leading me to believe that your mother must be somewhere behind this wall."

"There aren't any rooms that share that wall," Regina said quickly, poorly attempting to keep her gullible clients fooled. "You can check, but you won't find anything."

"You're right, there aren't any rooms on the other side of this wall," Killian agreed. "At least, not one that we can see."

With that, he threw all of his weight against the large bookcase next to him until it eventually began to move with great resistance. Everyone watched as the bookcase slid noisily across the floor, revealing a hidden door on the other side. Once it was fully exposed Killian moved to the door and grasped the handle firmly as he threw it open, startling the old woman that was behind it.

"Cora I presume?" he said with a knowing smirk.

The older woman gasped and dropped the wooden mallet she had been holding, not saying a word.

"How could you have possibly known that was there?" the eldest son wondered.

"Scrape marks on the floor," Killian replied simply as he bent over to point out the obvious marks imbedded in the wooden floorboards. "Now, as you all can see, there is nothing of the supernatural occurring here. Just a group of swindlers using your naivety against you."

The entire family bowed their heads, some of them going pink with embarrassment, before turning an accusatory glare at the three women who had now all gathered around each other.

"You," the old woman pointed a wrinkled finger at them. "You lied to us!"

"How could you do this? Pretend to communicate with our father, toy with our emotions, all for money?" the son shook his head in disgust as one of his sisters began to weep softly. "Come on mother, we're leaving."

With that the entire family hurriedly shuffled out of the small room, leaving Killian alone with the three Mills women who had now become furious.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself," Cora fumed.

"Pleased that I've exposed yet another so-called spiritualist to be nothing more than fraud? I'd say 'pleased' describes my current state quite nicely," he said agreeably.

"We weren't doing this for fun," Regina told him. "This was our livelihood!"

"There are plenty of honest jobs you can attain if you simply put forth the effort," he scoffed. "Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I must be off. Good luck with the rest of your lives."

Killian then promptly turned on his heel and headed for the door with his head held high. He straightened his waistcoat before putting on his jacket as he walked down the steps of the shabby old house. He could hear the sound of footsteps chasing after him, but he didn't turn back. Instead he kept his eyes forward and continued walking towards the street as Regina stood in the doorway and shouted after him.

"Damn you, Killian Jones! Damn you to hell!"

"You're hardly the first woman to tell me that Ms. Mills," Killian replied over his shoulder, his pride still perfectly intact. "I highly doubt that you'll be the last."

* * *

As Killian made his way home through the cobbled streets of London, he made the decision to stop by his favorite pub for a quick pint. As soon as he stepped through the door, the burly old woman behind the counter looked up at him with hints of a smile on her lips.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

"Evening, Granny," he nodded to the woman who frequenters of the pub simply referred to as Granny, or Granny Lucas.

"You look a might proud of yourself this evening," Granny commented as he took a seat at the bar. "Either you just won a big case or exposed another fraud. Regardless, I expect you want a pint of Guinness."

"I have in fact just come from exposing a rather pathetic lot of swindlers," he informed her. "Ever hear of the _Mystical Regina Mills_?"

"That one does ring a bell," she nodded, sliding a pint of dark Guinness beer in his direction. "I'm guessing you made quick work of her."

"It was almost too easy," he sighed before taking a sip of his drink. "At the end of the day, there's a logical explanation for everything. You just have to be smart enough to know what to look for."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," a familiar voice sounded behind him.

Killian looked over his shoulder, a broad grin stretching across his face as he got to his feet to greet the man.

"Will Scarlet, as I live and breathe," he laughed, shaking Will's hand before drawing him into a brief hug. "How long has it been?"

"Two years," Will replied.

"Has it really?"

"Well, I've been on tour," he reminded him. "This is the first time I've been in London since I last saw you."

"Right," Killian remembered. "You must tell me all about it. Come, have a drink."

The two men made their way back over to the bar and began chatting while Granny fixed Will a drink. Will had been Killian's closest friend growing up, as well as a fellow enthusiast of illusion and deception. They both became well practiced in the art of duplicating and debunking any trick they were shown and soon became known for their skill as master unmaskers. However, when the time had come for them to choose a profession, Killian chose the more practical option and became a lawyer, while exposing those who claimed to be true psychics remained a hobby. Will, on the other hand, took his dedication to the next level and became a renowned magician, travelling the world and astounding audiences with elaborate tricks.

"Honestly," Will laughed, "you wouldn't believe the number of people who come to a show just to see me levitate a pencil with a few invisible strings."

"Unfortunately I do believe it. People are so desperate to believe in the mystical that it's turned them all into imbeciles," Killian shook his head.

"Well, those imbeciles have made me quite a bit of money, so god bless 'em," Will lifted his glass before downing the rest of his beer. "It's a shame you didn't stick with it. You'd be richer than me if you had."

"I'm quite content in my current occupation," Killian said. "I don't need to deceive people into believing there's something more out there to make a living for myself. Although I don't mind exposing those who do from time to time."

"That's actually why I'm here," Will told him. "While I'm on tour, I come across people from all reaches of the earth claiming to possess supernatural abilities. Whenever one is brought to my attention, I take it upon myself to expose them for the frauds they truly are."

"Old habits die hard," Killian chuckled, sipping on his second beer.

"Well, I'm embarrassed to say that I've recently happened upon a girl who has me completely stumped."

"Oh really?" he said with interest.

"Yes, an American who is currently taking up residence with the Gold family at their estate in France. She's been making contact with their departed loved ones and they're quite taken with her abilities. Their son requested that I come and determine if she was legitimate and I can truly say that I've never seen anything like her," Will divulged. "What she's able to do, it's like-"

"Please don't say magic," Killian interrupted him.

"I don't know how else to explain it," Will sighed. "She knew things, Killian. She took one look at me and knew about my parents, my sister, Anastasia…"

"It's all a fraud, Will. A scam. Please, you know this," Killian said in annoyance.

"Yes, but I can't prove it!" Will exclaimed. "That's why I need you."

"Me?"

"You were always better at all this than I ever was," he admitted. "I know you'll be able to figure her out."

Killian felt his pride flare a little as he crossed his arms.

"You want me to come to France and expose her for you?"

"Yes," Will nodded. "I can even pay you if you'd like."

"Keep your money. I'll do it as a favor to an old friend."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. I could stand to do some travelling. I'll just have to arrange for my absence at the firm."

"You're bloody fantastic, Killian!" Will grinned before shaking his hand.

"Think nothing of it," Killian smiled as he waved for Granny to bring them two more drinks. "Now tell me, this America girl you spoke of, who is she exactly? What's her name?"

"Emma Swan," Will replied.

"Emma Swan," Killian repeated. "I look forward to meeting her."

* * *

 **A/N: This is my latest attempt at writing CS (my last attempt being a year ago for last year's AU week). It's been awhile so be gentle with me. I was out of town these past two weeks and spent the first week on a cruise where I saw the cutest little movie, Magic in the Moonlight, and it screamed AU potential at me. So I set to work and this is what came out. I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up with it since I do plan to continue past this point, but for now, I hope you enjoyed the first bit :)**


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